The present invention relates to communications systems, and more particularly, to apparatus and methods for providing information to users of wireless communications services.
Wireless communications systems are commonly employed to provide voice and data communications to subscribers. For example, analog cellular radiotelephone systems, such as those designated AMPS, ETACS, NMT-450, and NMT-900, have long been deployed successfully throughout the world. Digital cellular radiotelephone systems such as those conforming to the North American standard IS-54 (superseded by IS-136) and the European standard GSM have been in service since the early 1990""s. More recently, a wide variety of wireless digital services broadly labeled as PCS (Personal Communications Services) have been introduced, including advanced digital cellular systems conforming to standards such as IS-136 and IS-95, lower-power systems such as DECT (Digital Enhanced Cordless Telephone) and data communications services such as CDPD (Cellular Digital Packet Data). These and other systems are described in The Mobile Communications Handbook, edited by Gibson and published by CRC Press (1996).
FIG. 1 illustrates a typical terrestrial cellular radiotelephone communication system 20. The cellular radiotelephone system 20 may include one or more radiotelephones (terminals) 22, communicating with a plurality of cells 24 served by base stations 26 and a mobile telephone switching office (MTSO) 28. Although only three cells 24 are shown in FIG. 1, a typical cellular network may include hundreds of cells, may include more than one MTSO, and may serve thousands of radiotelephones.
The cells 24 generally serve as nodes in the communication system 20, from which links are established between radiotelephones 22 and the MTSO 28, by way of the base stations 26 serving the cells 24. Each cell 24 will have allocated to it one or more dedicated control channels and one or more traffic channels. A control channel is a dedicated channel used for transmitting cell identification and paging information. The traffic channels carry the voice and data information. Through the cellular network 20, a duplex radio communication link 30 may be effected between two mobile terminals 22 or between a mobile terminal 22 and a landline telephone user 32 through a public switched telephone network (PSTN) 34. The function of a base station 26 is to handle radio communication between a cell 24 and mobile terminals 22. In this capacity, a base station 26 functions as a relay station for data and voice signals.
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that xe2x80x9ccellsxe2x80x9d may have configurations other than the omnidirectional cells 24 illustrated in FIG. 1. For example, the coverage areas conceptually illustrated as a hexagonally-shaped area served by a base station 26 may actually be subdivided into three sectors using separate directional antennas mounted at the base station 26, with the sector antenna having patterns extending in three different directions. Each of these sectors may itself be considered a xe2x80x9ccell.xe2x80x9d As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, other cell configurations are also possible, including, for example, overlaid cells, microcells, picocells and the like.
As illustrated in FIG. 2, a satellite 42 may be employed to perform similar functions to those performed by a conventional terrestrial base station, for example, to serve areas in which population is sparsely distributed or which have rugged topography that tends to make conventional landline telephone or terrestrial cellular telephone infrastructure technically or economically impractical. A satellite radiotelephone system 40 typically includes one or more satellites 42 that serve as relays or transponders between one or more earth stations 44 and terminals 23. The satellite conveys radiotelephone communications over duplex links 46 to terminals 23 and an earth station 44. The earth station 44 may in turn be connected to a public switched telephone network 34, allowing communications between satellite radiotelephones, and communications between satellite radio telephones and conventional terrestrial cellular radiotelephones or landline telephones. The satellite radiotelephone system 40 may utilize a single antenna beam covering the entire area. served by the system, or, as shown, the satellite may be designed such that it produces multiple minimally-overlapping beams 48, each serving distinct geographical overage areas 50 in the system""s service region. The coverage areas 50 serve a similar function to the cells 24 of the terrestrial cellular system 20 of FIG. 1.
The use of wireless communications systems has rapidly grown, spurred by the availability of less expensive user terminals, the introduction of easier-to-understand billing plans, and an overall reduction in billing rates. These and other features have helped increase the worldwide population of wireless users to over 300 million.
In many countries, licenses to operate wireless communications systems are granted on a countrywide basis. However, in the United States and a few other countries, licenses to blocks of spectrum have been granted on a regional basis, resulting in the concepts of xe2x80x9chomexe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9croamingxe2x80x9d areas. Although consolidation of the telecommunications industry has resulted in the concentration of these regional licenses into the hands of a smaller number of large operators, these artificial regional boundaries still exist. Their presence has made it difficult to provide seamless operation across the boundaries, often making wireless usage problematic for traveling users.
The cost of roaming in the United States has traditionally been relatively high. Unlike in many countries where the cost of a call is independent of where the call is placed or received, the cost of calls in the United States can be variable and unpredictable. A user may be charged a daily roaming charge when he activates himself on the roaming (visited) network. Long distance charges may be added for calls made to destinations outside the visited system""s xe2x80x9clocalxe2x80x9d area, which typically is defined differently than the coverage area of the system""s operator. Daily charges may be applied when roaming in a network outside of one""s home network. Because of these and other difficulties, users frequently turn off their terminals when not placing a call, particularly when traveling.
Techniques have been developed to deal with the aforementioned problems. For example, systems conforming to the GSM and ANSI 136 cellular standards provide for a Charge Rate Indication (CRI) that allows the system operator to inform a user of the per minute cost of a call the user has requested the system to place. In GSM, for example, this feature can be used to provide prospective estimates of charges to users that are traveling across national boundaries, with the charge estimate being provided in the user""s home currency. A motivation for provision of CRI in ANSI 136 was to support wireless pay phone systems. The user of CRI can reduce cost uncertainty, but requires support in the cellular network. Generally, operators have little incentive to provide such information to users, as roaming charges represent a significant source of revenue.
Another approach to monitoring costs is to use a so-called xe2x80x9cprepaidxe2x80x9d package. In a typical prepaid package, a user purchases a fixed amount of wireless services, e.g., a fixed number of call minutes. In some systems, the user can call an operator to determine the number of prepaid minutes remaining on his or her package. The system may respond with a computerized voice message or an alphanumeric message that is transmitted to the user.
Other calling plans have been developed that remove some of the uncertainty involved in roaming. Many operators offer package rates, wherein a subscriber pays a fixed monthly charge for a predetermined number of minutes of calling during the month. When monthly usage exceeds the predetermined amount, additional minutes typically are provided at an increased, premium rate. In some plans, service may be provided on extended xe2x80x9cnationwidexe2x80x9d networks that, for example, cover major metropolitan areas of the United States. Minutes used within these extended networks may be included in the base package, but roaming minutes used outside of the extended network may be charged at a higher rate. Other plans, however, may not differentiate between home area and roaming calls in the discounted block, a feature particularly attractive to travelers who frequently use their cell phones outside of their home areas.
These plans have been facilitated by the development of system features that support Intelligent Roaming (IR). IR refers to a database that ranks roaming operators and that is downloaded to a user""s phone from his or her home system. When outside of the user""s home area, the phone seeks out and locks on to the highest ranked available roaming system in the downloaded database. Using this feature, the home system can direct its subscribers"" terminals to seek low-priced systems with which the home operator has a roaming agreement, making a nationwide xe2x80x9cone ratexe2x80x9d plan economically viable. Industry trends toward greater consolidation among wireless operators are likely to increase the availability of such plans.
Notwithstanding trends toward rate simplification, there are still a variety of rate structures and plans in effect. The patchwork nature of wireless rates and plans can lead to uncertainty about the costs incurred in using wireless services. A user that fails to exercise care in the operation of his or her cell phone may incur substantial costs that can be avoided by employing intelligent calling practices. Accordingly, there is a need for wireless communications apparatus and methods that improve a subscriber""s ability to monitor control communications costs.
In light of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide wireless communications apparatus and methods that can improve a subscriber""s ability to monitor and control communications costs.
It is another object of the present invention to provide wireless communications cost monitoring and control apparatus and methods that are compatible with a variety of rate structures.
These and other objects, features and advantages are provided according to the present invention by wireless communications apparatus and methods in which current cumulative usage information associated with a subscriber, such as a number of minutes used, a number of minutes remaining in a prepaid or monthly calling block, or the like, associated with a subscriber is automatically communicated to a terminal, (e.g., without an inquiry from the terminal), and indicated to a user. The usage information is preferably communicated to the terminal using mechanisms used for normal system operation. For example, usage information may be communicated in a Registration Response message, in a control message communicated during a call, and/or in a Release message at call teardown. According to aspects of the present invention, a terminal can extrapolate current usage information from a previous usage indication when operating in a system that does not provide current usage information. According to other aspects of the present invention, the user may be supplied with a visual or auditory indication when indicated usage represents an extrapolation and/or when usage meets a predetermined criterion, e.g., when usage exceeds a predetermined value. According to other aspects of the invention, multiple usage indications can be provided to a terminal, a respective one of corresponds to a respective type of usage, e.g., home area usage, roaming usage, satellite system usage, terrestrial system usage, and the like.
According to an aspect of the present invention, usage information is provided to a terminal by a wireless communications system, e.g., a system operative to communicate with terminals via terrestrial base stations and/or satellites. The system maintains a subscriber information database including current cumulative usage information for subscribers. The system automatically communicates current cumulative usage information for a subscriber in the subscriber information database to a terminal.
The current cumulative usage information may be communicated in a variety of ways. For example, current cumulative usage information may be automatically communicated to the terminal at registration of the terminal. Current cumulative usage information may also be automatically communicated during or at the end of a call. Current cumulative usage information may be communicated to a terminal in at least one of a Registration Response message, a Control message, and a Release message.
According to yet another aspect of the present invention, a plurality of usage indications is communicated to a terminal, a respective one of which is associated with a respective type of usage. The usage indications may include, for example, a voice call usage indication, a data call usage indication, a home area usage indication, a roaming usage indication, a geographic area usage indication, a system type usage indication, a terrestrial system usage indication, a satellite system usage indication, a time of day usage indication, or a time of week usage indication. Information may be communicated in, for example, time or monetary units.
In other embodiments according to the present invention, a terminal receives current cumulative usage information from a wireless communications system, and indicates current cumulative usage for a subscriber to a user based on the received current cumulative usage information. The current cumulative usage information may be received, for example, at registration of the terminal, during a call or at the end of a call. The information may be received, for example, in a Registration Response message, a Control message, or a Release message.
According to another aspect, a terminal may receive a plurality of usage indications, a respective one of which is associated with a respective type of usage. The terminal may provided a plurality of usage indications to a user based on the received plurality of usage indications. The different usages may be indicated in different forms, such as by different visual or auditory indicia. Further, the terminal may convert received usage information, such as an absolute number of minutes used, to a new format, such a number of minutes remaining in a prepaid calling block. Presentation of usage information to a user may be controlled by a user input, such as by a keypad, trackball or similar device.
In yet another embodiment, a terminal may receive an indication from a wireless communications system that current cumulative usage information will not be communicated to the terminal, for example, on a point-to-point or broadcast channel. In response, the terminal may extrapolate usage, and indicate the extrapolated usage to a user. A distinctive display may be used to distinguish such extrapolated usage from actual usage information received from a wireless communications system. The terminal may also provide an indication to the user when a difference between an extrapolated usage and actual usage exceeds a predetermined threshold, or when an actual or extrapolated usage meets another predetermined criterion, such as a maximum number of minutes threshold.
Related operating methods for wireless communications system and terminals are also described. Improved wireless communications apparatus and methods can thereby be provided.